Atticus' Letter
by HannibelleLecter
Summary: A letter from Atticus to his wife, written as a poem because they're fun to write as well as read, and I feel Atticus would do that. This was for a school task: Write a letter from Atticus to his dead wife telling her about their children.


_**Hey, just an english assignment I decided to upload here. The task was:**_

_**"Compose a letter from Atticus to his dead wife telling her about their children."**_

_**I wrote a poem because I like reading poems and they're much more fun to write than paragraphs!**_

_**Enjoy, and please review!**_

My dear Louise, it's Atticus. It sure has been a while,

How I long to hear your voice, to see your lovely smile.

Losing you was dreadful and it took some time to pass,

When your heart gave up on you, mine broke just like glass.

It's always sad to see the loss that Jem feels for his mother,

Jean Louise's only reminder is the sorrow in her brother.

Remember when we called her Scout? She now prefers the name,

I never thought after all these years, that it would remain.

The kids are keen on reading everything that they see,

Perhaps I'll show them someday the things that you wrote me.

Jem is twelve and Scout is eight, they're growing up so fast,

So many things have happened in all the time that's passed.

I do not know how to begin to explain the last two years,

The thought of your disappointment is one of my great fears.

Remember when I came to you after my clients were hanged?

I really needed comfort, and being a poet, you sang.

I keep the song you wrote me in my pocket to this day,

As long as it is with me, you will never fade away.

The point I'm making here is that maybe poems are best,

And to tell you of the past, I will put them to the test:

Our children have been exposed to the evil in this town,

Part of it is my doing. I hope I didn't let them down.

They called me with the case during Scout's first year of school,

A Negro had been charged with the rape of Mayella Ewell.

The man's name was Tom, a victim of his own care,

We all knew: no matter what, the case would not be fair.

Maycomb folks were outraged at the news of my new case,

Some were so disgusted, they'd gladly spit in my face.

Jem was quick to realise it was best to stay real quiet,

But Scout would return every bad comment with a fight.

She asked me frequent questions, and answer them I would,

Both our kids matured much faster than they should.

Jem became a parent to his sister through this time,

He took most of the jobs that should have been mine.

When Tom was kept in Maycomb jail, I stayed with him all night,

When the lynch mob arrived for him, I knew I had to fight.

But the children followed me along with their friend Dill,

And Scout saved us all, with innocence and good will.

I was proud of them that day, until I saw the truth,

Their lives had been ruined, they had lost their youth.

Still, I'm very grateful for the way that they got through,

The experience taught them things that they never knew.

We still have Calpurnia, without whom can't survive,

She took the kids to the Negro church for the first time in their lives.

Alexandra took it upon herself to move in before the trial,

She desperately wanted to help us by changing our lifestyle.

Young Scout wouldn't have it; she refused to change at all,

She would run around in breeches, leaving Alexandra appalled.

Scout has admiral qualities, Louise, she reminds me much of you,

She's curious and intelligent, and very stubborn too.

When the day of the trial came, I was ready to go,

Again, the children followed, without letting me know.

I did everything I could Louise; the trial was very long,

But in the end, as always, the conviction was wrong.

Jem was so distraught that day; there was nothing to be done,

That trial exposed the world's evils to our innocent young son.

Jem was quiet for weeks after, he wanted to forget the trial,

Scout was still curious, but she had lost her smile.

Tom Robinson died later, and I thought it was the end,

But the horror for our children would again extend.

They had fun on Halloween, and I thought they'd be alright,

But it got much worse for them when they walked home that night.

I'll spare you the details, but Bob meant our children harm,

Thanks to Arthur Radley, Jem got away with a broken arm.

Scout made me proud that night; she was wise beyond her years,

How much she had matured almost had me in tears.

Some good did come out of it: Scout showed me what she'd learned,

She said telling the truth would be like killing a mockingbird.

Arthur showed our daughter that good people exist,

He gave her what she needed to continue to persist.

It's very hard Louise, but I sure as hell do try,

Telling you everything is what helps me get by.


End file.
